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Day 19 – Leaving on a Jet Plane

Mom, that is. It is really looking good for us to be at Kelowna General Hospital late this week. Right now there are only a couple of threats to Layton’s life. First, if he keeps snapping his fingers every time I sit down 🙂 and second, if he bangs his little styrofoam cup of ice, wanting more, wanting more. Actually, I am just glad he can do these things although Lesley, a night nurse from last week, suggested that I can just tape his fingers together.

There is something else he has not yet realized. I am collecting brownie points by the score right now. I am not sure all men are aware of this, but men’s brownie points have a very short shelf life. Women’s brownie points have no expiry date!

Hopefully I am not being repetitive as I have written this blog before, but failed to save it and am getting confused myself.

I don’t think I have updated the visitor list from Sunday. Mom and I went for lunch and when we came back they would not let us in since he had too many visitors!! What! We are from out of town and don’t know anyone. Sure enough, Russ and Debbie and Jeff and Jennifer from Star Riders were visiting. Russ and Debbie were the couple who went and picked Layton’s gear up in Ely…I had no idea it was six hours from Reno! Russ has done lots of work on bikes and he seems to think the damage is reparable. The bike has been shipped back to Windsor RV in Grande Prairie where our friends Janet and Charles will take good care of it for us. Tom and Mike from Star Riders also stopped in for a visit as well. He loves the visitors!

For some reason, I had packed light for this trip and Mom came with a large suitcase when she really needed a small one so we were able to jam all Layton’s stuff into three suitcases, paid extra, but they got home with Mom. Blessings to the patient people behind us who had to wait while we moved five pounds from the 55 lb bag into the 37 lb bag!

Layton keeps asking the staff if he will be able to sing when he gets the trach out. Doc Watson had the best comeback-“Could you sing before?”

“Well, no,” he shakes his head.

“Pretty much the same after. Do you play the piano?”

“Well, no.”

“You are going to have plenty of time to practice so you will after this!”

Layton is getting anxious to get home. He is restless in his short bed and can’t get comfortable any more.

On Saturday, he was on CPAP (breathing mostly on his own with the help of ventilator, my layman definition) for 30 minutes, Sunday-60 minutes, Monday-seven hours!! Today he did it about five hours, then they reduced his oxygen even more to “blow by” the trach. That only lasted an hour and he needed to go back to the other. He doesn’t rest too much at night between getting checked, medicated and bathed. He told Tan, his night nurse, that even though there was no wine, flowers or music, he still gave a pretty good bath!

Liam, you will be comforted to know, that even with a trach, your dad is trying to snore! He is sleeping now, peacefully, with a washcloth containing crushed ice under his soaking wet doo-rag. (Definition according to the Urban Dictionary: A cloth worn to protect your “doo”. Something white people should never wear.) And whoo knooo how to spell doo-rag, but Mike Fredrickson! I thought it was dew-rag and I know Layton has spelled it at least one or two other ways! One of Layton’s favourite quotes is from Mark Twain, “I have no respect for any man who can’t spell a word more than one way!” Layton would have his unwavering respect!

I am hoping the next update gives details of our “jet plane” departure. That will be nice.